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The latest in live: How Vivo Gaming grew its live casino offering during the pandemic

Published

4 years ago

February 16, 2022

Reading Time: 4 minutes

The global COVID-19 pandemic saw an influx of land-based casino players migrate online in search of viable alternatives to in-person gaming.

European Gaming spoke to Adriana Nitu, Sales Manager at Vivo Gaming, about the challenges involved in managing this shift and what they’ve done to retain these players as life returns to normal.

How do you accurately replicate the land-based casino experience as closely as possible to give players that authentic feeling when playing their favourite table games? What innovations were developed to ensure this?

The dealer is the heart and soul of making the experience feel as authentic as possible. The human element cannot be understated, so go to great lengths to ensure that all staff are professionally trained and have a great deal of experience behind them before they’re put in front of a camera. Of course, our expert dealers are showcased within our high-quality studios, home to all of the best live dealer games that people would usually gravitate to if they were in a land-based casino.

It’s important that we keep the setting fresh, we do this by having a number of different studios with varying décor, giving clients and players as wide a variety as possible. It goes without saying that high-definition streaming is another element that’s vital to making players feel as though they are standing in front of the table as the cards are dealt. Having the technology to offer the operator the ability to illustrate their brand also helps the player feel as though they are back enjoying the land-based operation they frequented, or to become more familiar with a new one.

Of course, an intuitive user interface is essential for making sure all this works seamlessly – if the mechanics are getting between the player and the experience, they are unlikely to enjoy it as much as they would a land-based casino so investment on that front cannot be ignored.

What measures have Vivo Gaming taken to ensure the retention of the players that migrated over from land-based casinos during the pandemic?

Land-based still has an important place, but a hybrid approach is being widely adopted by many casinos now. We offer the streaming of land-based casinos, which remains popular and brings that feeling of being there to those players.

During the various lockdowns when many people suddenly had a lot more time on their hands many discovered new pastimes and hobbies and for those that have a keen interest in casino, they learned how to play new games. It’s been important to keep up with these expanding interests and always offer players a wide range of options in general.

Localisation is often overlooked, to the detriment of many services. Language, in particular, needs to be taken into careful consideration. Players want to play a game in their native language, promotional material should also be localised in this way as much as possible as well.

Obviously, nobody can truly prepare for a global pandemic on the scale we’ve experienced, but how did Vivo Gaming cope with the increase in players from both a technical and an organisational standpoint?

Initially, we just rolled with the influx, and in the end, it hasn’t massively changed too many of our internal processes. However, we have grown our service and technical teams significantly, increasing the company’s headcount, knowledge and product offering. Although Vivo Gaming had already been growing at pace at that point in time, COVID certainly sped things up.

That being said, one department we found we particularly needed to grow was the Account Management Team – it became very clear that this was a time when our global customer-based were going to need more attention than ever before, looking back it’s fair to suggest that this investment paid off. It enabled us to ensure our clients benefited from quick technical integrations of new games and support with promotional offers for players.

The situation highlighted the fact that companies have no choice but to innovate to remain competitive. It also showed us that technology needs to catch up with the demands of customers when it comes to their online offering.

For land-based operators, it became clear that an online option was vital and even now a hybrid approach is by far the most advisable path for any casino.

How do you foresee the industry changing as we go into 2022, given the degree of growth and innovation we have seen in the past two years?

One of the biggest impacts of the past two years that we will see going forward is a huge increase in the number of people working from home. This will naturally mean an increase in the demand for entertainment in the home. I expect that we’re going to see a continued surge in innovation in product lines such as virtual reality and augmented reality, as well as new and updated games that are designed to better suit these formats.

It’s timely that we are now seeing such aggressive strides forward in initiatives like the Metaverse, which captures the way people will want to experience live gaming going forward.

On Vivo Gaming’s side, we’re currently working on gaining additional licences in new and emerging markets, as well as opening new studios across Europe. We’re also expanding our offering with dedicated tables and personalised studios via our Chroma Key solution, in addition to this, we’ll continue to focus on improving our established operations using a new expanded data feed API.

Have the last two years given the company an opportunity to step back and assess the key areas in which there’s room for growth? If so, which areas were highlighted as having potential?

Yes, absolutely. We have been working on several new games that will be delivered in 2022. We are also updating each of our game’s UIs, as well as our studios and equipment. We will also be implementing new tools that will help us to further grow the products, delivery and Vivo services.

Additionally, a host of amazing people have joined the Vivo Team over the past few months and their input, knowledge and talents are driving parts of the business forward which is exciting to see. The optimism and motivation to see Vivo succeed is palpable.

Importantly, we’ve also taken this time to examine the regulatory status of several new markets, which we look forward to announcing more on soon. We cater for a truly international audience, and as we all know, every individual market has different quirks and requirements. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach that can be taken but the strategic thinking necessary to overcome that is our speciality.

B2B iGaming

Gamblers Connect Strengthens Trust with Launch of Verified Sources Panel

Published

3 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Wladimir P.

gamblers-connect-strengthens-trust-with-launch-of-verified-sources-panel

Gamblers Connect, the independent B2B iGaming media platform, has introduced a Verified Sources panel that appears at the bottom of every article, linking each factual claim directly to named primary documents hosted on the original source’s own domain.

The panel lists the specific sources consulted, identifies the issuing authority, and includes editorial notes explaining what has been verified and where the limits of the available evidence exist. Positioned immediately beneath the article body, each source is presented in the order it was consulted and includes the responsible individual or office where applicable.

Each entry also includes relevant disclosure tags drawn from the newsroom’s editorial taxonomy, and a direct hyperlink to the original document on the source’s own domain, allowing readers to verify the reporting in a single click.

The initiative responds to widespread practices in online publishing where sources are hidden, paraphrased or omitted altogether, leaving readers to rely on trust rather than independently verifiable evidence.

Luka Dimitrijevic, Partnerships & Operations Lead at Gamblers Connect, said: “Trust is not something a media outlet can declare. It is something the reader gives, and only once they can see the documents the story was built from. The Verified Sources panel exists so that verification is never more than one click away. If a claim in a story is worth making, the source behind it is worth linking to.”

The post Gamblers Connect Strengthens Trust with Launch of Verified Sources Panel appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Boaster Fnatic

Esports World Cup: Level Up Returns to Prime Video June 26 with Season Two

Published

3 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Wladimir P.

esports-world-cup:-level-up-returns-to-prime-video-june-26-with-season-two

Esports World Cup: Level Upreturns for its second season on June 26, with all five episodes dropping that day exclusively on Prime Video. Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (Martha (Netflix), Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry (Apple TV)), the five-part docuseries goes inside the human stories behind the world’s largest esports competition, following players, Clubs and families through the pressure and ambition of the 2025 Esports World Cup.

Set in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the seven-week event, the new season follows the chase for the $70 million prize pool and the EWC Club Championship, while showing the personal journeys at the heart of the competition. The series captures what it takes to compete on a global stage where one match can change a career, a season can define a Club, and a single moment can turn a player into a star.

Produced by This Machine (a part of Sony Pictures Television), with director R.J. Cutler, showrunner John Dorsey and executive producers Jane Cha Cutler, Trevor Smith, Elise Pearlstein and Mark Blatty all returning for the second season, Esports World Cup: Level Up takes a vérité-style approach to esports, capturing the sacrifice, stakes, and rising fame of the world’s top competitive gamers.

Featured players include Jake “Boaster” Howlett (Fnatic; VALORANT), Vivi “Vivian” Indrawaty (Team Vitality; MLBB), Kasimili “Soka” Tongamoa (Team Falcons; Call of Duty: Warzone), Xiao Hai (KuaiShou Gaming; Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves) and Garidmagnai “bLitz” Byambasuren (Mongolz; Counter-Strike). To bring the players’ personal stories to the forefront, the film’s crew was on set in Riyadh for seven weeks and also traveled to locations across the U.K., U.S. and Indonesia for rare at-home visits.

Standout storylines woven throughout the series include:

Magnus Carlsen (Team Liquid, Chess) – Widely considered the greatest chess player ever, Carlsen faces the isolation of dominance, with no traditional peaks left to conquer. His story follows his shift into esports, where a new generation of challengers awaits.

Boaster (Fnatic, Valorant) – As Valorant debuts at the event, the British competitor’s journey from aspiring actor to title contender shows there’s no single path to success, shaped by resilience through personal and professional setbacks.

Xiao Hai (KSG, Street Fighter) – A reigning champion shaped by strict discipline, Xiao Hai was competing against adults by age six. Now a father, he balances global competition with family life.

Vivian (Team Vitality, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang) – Competing for a life-changing prize, Vivian’s story centers on overcoming recent setbacks and confronting childhood trauma.

The Mongolz & bLitz (Counter-Strike 2) – Led by their star player bLitz, this grassroots Mongolian team has risen from obscurity to national prominence, becoming symbols of pride and perseverance.

Soka (Team Falcons, Call of Duty: Warzone) – The reigning champion faces pressure on multiple fronts, dealing with rivalries from former teammates while navigating a turbulent home life.
Coach ArSy (Team Liquid, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang) – Offering a rare coaching perspective, ArSy draws on a difficult upbringing to lead and inspire his team’s pursuit of redemption.

“Level Up captures the human side of what we are building with the Esports World Cup,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports Foundation. “EWC creates the stage: the best games, the best Clubs, the best players, life-changing stakes and moments that bring together a global gaming community of billions. The documentary takes you closer to the people inside those moments: their pressure, their ambition, their families and the stories that make esports meaningful to a new generation.”

“This next chapter deepens our exploration of a global phenomenon that is as much about human ambition and identity as it is about competition,” said Cutler. “Esports is one of the most dynamic cultural movements of our time. In season two, we continue to chronicle not just the competition, but the lives, dreams, and sacrifices of the players at the center of it, revealing a world that is both intensely personal and globally resonant.”

Around those player journeys, the series also captures the wider cultural energy of the Esports World Cup, where sport, music, entertainment and gaming meet. In addition to elite competition, Level Up showcases moments from a star-studded lineup of musical artists and athletes, including opening headliner Post Malone, who shows off his gaming skills backstage; grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, who triumphs in his first chess esports event; and football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, who ushers the Club Championship trophy to the stage in a dramatic closing ceremony.

The magnitude of the Esports World Cup is also seen through the reactions of some of the world’s biggest sports and entertainment figures, including reigning F1 champion Lando Norris; Brazilian football legends Ronaldo Nazario and Kaká, who go one-on-one in an EA FC showmatch; professional footballer Alisha Lehmann; skateboarder Tony Hawk; and tennis star Nick Kyrgios, who stated: “The crowd, the atmosphere, is literally better than Wimbledon or any Grand Slam.”

The Esports World Cup 2025 marked a defining moment in competitive gaming. In its second year, EWC reached 750 million viewers worldwide and generated 350 million hours watched, with peak concurrent viewership of nearly 8 million during the League of Legends at EWC ’25 tournament. Coverage was delivered across 28 platforms through 97 broadcast partners and more than 800 channels in 35 languages. Twenty-five tournaments spanning 24 games featured more than 2,000 players representing approximately 200 Clubs from over 100 countries.

The 2026 edition of the Esports World Cup will be held in Paris, France from July 6 through August 23, as the top Clubs in the world compete for $75 million and the 2026 EWC Club Championship trophy.

The post Esports World Cup: Level Up Returns to Prime Video June 26 with Season Two appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

AGLC license

Tonybet Secures Alberta iGaming License as Regulated Market Opens

Published

3 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Wladimir P.

tonybet-secures-alberta-igaming-license-as-regulated-market-opens

Tonybet, an international iGaming operator already licensed in Ontario and Kahnawake, today announced that it has received an iGaming license from the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), clearing the company to operate in Alberta’s regulated online gaming market.

The license allows Tonybet to enter Alberta, Canada’s second province to introduce a competitive, multi-operator iGaming market following Ontario’s launch in 2022. It also extends Tonybet’s Canadian footprint, reinforcing the company’s position as one of the most broadly licensed operators in the country.

Alberta’s regulated market represents a significant opportunity. The province has an estimated population of nearly 5 million, a strong sports culture, and a regulatory framework designed to channel existing online gaming activity into a licensed, player-protected environment. Tonybet intends to bring the same localized approach that has driven its growth in Ontario – combining regionally relevant sports betting markets, responsible gaming tools, and dedicated customer support – to Alberta from day one.

“Alberta is taking the right approach – building a regulated market that puts player protection and operational standards at the center from the start. That’s exactly the kind of environment we want to operate in. We’ve spent years proving in Ontario that you can grow a business and maintain the highest compliance standards at the same time – registrations and gross gaming revenue in the province both grew by 52% in 2025, with responsible gaming embedded in that success rather than working against it. Securing this license means we can bring the same commitment to Alberta, and we plan to be fully operational in the market,” said Dmitry Arabuli, CEO of Tonybet.

Tonybet has already begun preparations for its Alberta launch, including platform localization, integration with the province’s centralized self-exclusion system, and commercial onboarding with the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC).

The post Tonybet Secures Alberta iGaming License as Regulated Market Opens appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.